Lucy Jane Ward of Springfield passed away April 8, 2012 in the Springfield Rehab & Health Center. She was born December 11, 1925 north of Willard. She was the youngest of eight children born to Homer and Myrtle Hurd. She was married on August 7, 1948 in Atlanta, GA to Ernest P. Ward who predeceased her. She was preceded in death by her brothers and sisters. She is survived by her two children: Ernest P Ward, Jr., his wife Rosella of St. Louis, their daughter Meredith Ward of Plano, TX and Valerie Ward Toombs, her husband Robert N Toombs of Springfield. She graduated from Drury University in 1976 with a BS Degree in Business Administration and Economics. She is a member of Central Christian Church. She was a longtime member of the Lions Club where she served as District Governor and was a recipient of the Melvin Jones Fellow Award. She was a life time member of Springfield Elks Lodge 409 Ladies Auxiliary. She was a past board member of the Springfield Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired Children's Services. She worked with the Women's Division of the Springfield Chamber of Commerce to arrange for speakers Senator Nancy Kassebaum, Crystal Gale, and Miss America Donna Axum. She is a past president of the Roundtree Elementary School PTA. Services will be held at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 11, 2012 in Gorman-Scharpf Brentwood Chapel with Reverend Steve Ward officiating, under the direction of Gorman-Scharpf Brentwood Chapel. Visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:00 pm Tuesday, April 10 in the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Drury University School of Architecture or the Springfield Elks Lodge 409 Scholarship Fund.